If you've giving a gift of a console this year, please update it NOW if you're able.

Topper · Dec 25, 2020

Last year I got a switch for the family, installed all updates and games, and boxed it back up like it came originally. Christmas morning I let my oldest son unbox it... and after it was unboxed we were all able to jump straight into mario kart. I don't see how installing updates and getting it setup is a bad thing. You just put it back in the box after you're done?

Arc · Dec 25, 2020

Wtf absolutely not. Unboxing is half the fun why would you take this away from someone to save 10 minutes of patching? This fuckin place has the worst takes sometimes holy shit.

KartuneDX · Dec 25, 2020

Arc said:
Wtf absolutely not. Unboxing is half the fun why would you take this away from someone to save 10 minutes of patching? This fuckin place has the worst takes sometimes holy shit.

It costs nothing nor does it take away from any "experience" to simply reseal the system. The recipient wouldn't know better and the games are already installed.

it's not about "10 minutes of patching" it's about Christmas Day servers being shit and completely busted. You can't even download a single app from the Switch eShop right now and this thread is about the only logical solution to avoiding this otherwise inevitable issue.

Dogo Mojo · Dec 25, 2020

I can only speak for myself but part of the fun for me whenever I got a new console was figuring out how it worked. That's definitely dependant on the individual child's level of curiosity but my daughter is the same way. When we got her her first phone last year, she wanted to open it and learn how it worked herself. There is no one size fits all solution to this, kids are not as dumb as a lot of people think they are and many of them are way ahead of where kids were at the same age in my youth. The trick is being willing to communicate with them often enough to know their disposition different situations.

kamineko · Dec 25, 2020

i think this is just how it goes

would you patch and install the games too? game updates are going to be the real shit

WolverinesFather · Dec 25, 2020

You all know that the device is allowed to go back in the box once you have done the updates... right?

I have small kids and I don't think they need to sit through system updates. I hate them as an adult. Back when I was a kid this shit just worked. I don't want them to sit around for hours while things install.

if this was for another adult, or a teenager then yeah let them do the setup. But no one is taking anything away from a child in this situation.

Garou · Dec 25, 2020

Switch firmware is done within seconds, no need to worry about it.
For PlayStation just prepare a USB with the update file beforehand: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5/system-software/

GamerJM · Dec 25, 2020

Kids aren't stupid, they know about the concept of updates. I'd ask a kid if they want it updated before giving it as a gift.

CreepingFear · Dec 25, 2020

Yeah, you can't break the seal. I wouldn't like if I noticed that the seal was broken. Besides, I'll never be able to put it back in the box like it came.

Tbm24 · Dec 25, 2020

Topper said:
Last year I got a switch for the family, installed all updates and games, and boxed it back up like it came originally. Christmas morning I let my oldest son unbox it... and after it was unboxed we were all able to jump straight into mario kart. I don't see how installing updates and getting it setup is a bad thing. You just put it back in the box after you're done?

Depends on the person, but as a kid whenever I did get a console. Me being the one to turn it on for the first time meant something. Still does.

Guppeth · Dec 25, 2020

If buying for a little kid, I'd update the firmware, install the games, and patch them. Then put everything back in the box. They won't even realise.
If buying for a teenager, I'd probably update the firmware then reset the console, so they're unaware they're not the first person to boot it up.
If buying for an adult, I'd consider the person. Personally, I've watched enough progress bars creep towards 100% for one lifetime, and if someone can save me that tedium, just once, I'd appreciate the gesture.

Wiseguy · Dec 25, 2020

So we got the PS5 a month ago. I've had it in my bedroom and I updated the system, controllers, loaded all the games & updated the games. I made space in our TV stand last week and got the cables ready. Then on Christmas eve I hooked it all up and covered it so you couldn't see it was in the entertainment center. In the PS5 box I put the games we bought along with an extra controller. Wrapped up the PS5 box and actually gave the gift to my 6 & 8 year old boys later in the day after they had opened their tree presents in the morning. I have patience.

I told them it was a gift from mom & dad for being good boys this year during extraordinary times. When they unwrapped the box they were both floored. Then they opened the PS5 box. They saw the games and controller and I was the one that said, where's the PS5? I go over to the console and take the cloth off and I turn on the TV...tadaa! Let's play!

They were so happy.

DanteSparda504 · Dec 25, 2020

robotrock said:
No. the recipient must be the first to unbox.

This. I'd be so fucking pissed if I wasn't able to unbox and set up my own stuff.

Justified · Dec 26, 2020

Great lesson plus a identifiable cultural moment of time for a gamer to remember forever

Mindfreak191 · Dec 26, 2020

Will someone think of the poor children! Naah, they get to unbox and learn how to connect and update shit on their own.

Bob Beat · Dec 26, 2020

Bought my son a PC from digital storm and they don't include a WiFi card. I can confirm that not being able to use your new tech toy, for hours, during Christmas, is not fun.

Some of y'all not buy batteries to teach your kid patience?

'Sorry, Timmy, ya can't play with that. We'll get batteries tomorrow. Got to be patient'

I mean, why put the doll house together?

Deleted member 12323 · Dec 26, 2020

nope. Part of the fun is doing things on your own. I don't support this

Burai · Dec 26, 2020

I'd have more sympathy for the "Unboxing and setting up are all part of the experience. Patience is a lesson all kids should learn" crowd if they hadn't grown up with consoles and games that literally worked straight out of the box.

"No, son, server connection issues and not being able to play anything is all part of the fun. It's a rite of passage for all kids" says complete fucking asshole who's most difficult childhood console experience was setting the clock on a GameCube.

Lobster Roll · Dec 26, 2020

Don't get me wrong, being the recipient of a console is the first & foremost coolest part of that experience. However, I would still be pretty bummed to not be the one to unbox it or to get those fresh, brand-new setup screens where it's not the UI and it's kinda fun in a boring way. Like it's a console's version of a BIOS or something. It's just part of the experience.

Justified · Dec 26, 2020

Bob Beat said:
Bought my son a PC from digital storm and they don't include a WiFi card. I can confirm that not being able to use your new tech toy, for hours, during Christmas, is not fun.

Some of y'all not buy batteries to teach your kid patience?

'Sorry, Timmy, ya can't play with that. We'll get batteries tomorrow. Got to be patient'

I mean, why put the doll house together?

Those things are not the same IMO

NoKisum · Dec 26, 2020

Topper said:
Last year I got a switch for the family, installed all updates and games, and boxed it back up like it came originally. Christmas morning I let my oldest son unbox it... and after it was unboxed we were all able to jump straight into mario kart. I don't see how installing updates and getting it setup is a bad thing. You just put it back in the box after you're done?

Wiseguy said:
So we got the PS5 a month ago. I've had it in my bedroom and I updated the system, controllers, loaded all the games & updated the games. I made space in our TV stand last week and got the cables ready. Then on Christmas eve I hooked it all up and covered it so you couldn't see it was in the entertainment center. In the PS5 box I put the games we bought along with an extra controller. Wrapped up the PS5 box and actually gave the gift to my 6 & 8 year old boys later in the day after they had opened their tree presents in the morning. I have patience.

I told them it was a gift from mom & dad for being good boys this year during extraordinary times. When they unwrapped the box they were both floored. Then they opened the PS5 box. They saw the games and controller and I was the one that said, where's the PS5? I go over to the console and take the cloth off and I turn on the TV...tadaa! Let's play!

They were so happy.

According to this thread, you two are the worst parents in the world and should be punished. BRB calling child protective services.

Deleted member 35631 · Dec 26, 2020

Jolkien said:
I wouldn't. Patience should be learned and opening it for the first time is part of the experience in my opinion. Just in case the server load would be too great I'd put the latest firmware on a USB key and keep that in my pocket if the PSN or XBL goes down.

This is a better idea. However, I've never encountered an issue where I couldn't setup a new console (or any device for that matter).

Kalel114 · Dec 26, 2020

Did this yesterday. Got my kids a Animal Crossing Switch. Nice to just put a game in and go.

Justified · Dec 26, 2020

NoKisum said:
According to this thread, you two are the worst parents in the world and should be punished. BRB calling child protective services.

I think what most are trying to articulate, or at least this is my interpretation, is that waiting through updates is looked upon as a rite of passage in the gaming community

Astraea · Dec 26, 2020

Imagine someone bought you a $500 console as a gift, and thought it'd be nice if it was ready to go as soon as you open it, and your first thought is being pissed off that you weren't the first to open the box that holds your new toy. The next 5-7 years are tainted now, and every time you boot up the console you'll be reminded that someone else was the first to put hands on it. You poor pathetic bastard. 🙄

Carnby · Dec 26, 2020

I dunno. My son's PS5 was updated within minutes. Doesn't seem to be an issue for those.

Topper · Dec 26, 2020

Kyoufu said:
I bet OP wouldn't want the retailer to open his console and update it themselves before selling it, so why would you do this for the gift recipient?

Not gonna lie, I'd be down for this. The fact that a lot of you in this thread love the idea of waiting for consoles to update and games to patch is pretty weird. I'm 34 and have received multiple consoles from my parents over the years on Christmas. All my memories involve actually playing the games, not unwrapping plastic off the console. I couldn't even tell you what the N64 box looks like but I sure as hell remember running around the outside of the castle in Mario 64. To each their own I guess. If anyone on here ever buys me an electronic, feel free to open it up and update that bad boy first lol.

Kyoufu · Dec 26, 2020

Topper said:
Not gonna lie, I'd be down for this. The fact that a lot of you in this thread love the idea of waiting for consoles to update and games to patch is pretty weird. I'm 34 and have received multiple consoles from my parents over the years on Christmas. All my memories involve actually playing the games, not unwrapping plastic off the console. I couldn't even tell you what the N64 box looks like but I sure as hell remember running around the outside of the castle in Mario 64. To each their own I guess. If anyone on here ever buys me an electronic, feel free to open it up and update that bad boy first lol.

Setting up my PS5 and updating the games took less than 30 minutes. I'll do it myself than lord knows what the retailer would be doing. Don't open my shit.

dumbyugi · Dec 26, 2020

I think this depends on the child. As a kid I would have noticed if my new console had already been opened and would have been annoyed, but my sister would not have given a shit and would probably appreciate everything being set up and ready to go. What I'm saying is you should know your child and do what works best for them.

NoKisum · Dec 26, 2020

Justified said:
I think what most are trying to articulate, or at least this is my interpretation, is that waiting through updates is looked upon as a rite of passage in the gaming community

And apparently not letting them have that "rite of passage" is a shitty parent thing to do, right up there with hitting your child and berating them for no reason.

PK_Wonder · Dec 26, 2020

dumbyugi said:
I think this depends on the child. As a kid I would have noticed if my new console had already been opened and would have been annoyed, but my sister would not have given a shit and would probably appreciate everything being set up and ready to go. What I'm saying is you should know your child and do what works best for them.

Exactly this. Completely depends on the recipient's preferences and personality. No need to teach "lessons" of patience to a kid who just wants to start playing a game immediately OR alternately, assume you're doing someone a courtesy if that someone prefers to to take control and take their time setting up what will be their system.

It may be a hard to know what to do if it's a kid's first console, but it would weird to blindly get them a console without knowing what games they are interested in, making sure they understand the responsibility of owning an expensive electronic, etc. Probably a good idea to discuss topics such as updates and downloading in advance and see how they react, for many reasons, not just system setup.

Yasuke · Dec 26, 2020

Oh God, do people actually do this?

I'd be disappointed, I like doing that stuff myself (as well as doing the initial unboxing).

This seems like one of those "do what you know your kid would want" things.

Fawz · Dec 26, 2020

People always say this and I vehemently disagree. I love setting up a new console and think it's a great way to be more appreciative of it. I think back on my consoles as kid and that unveiling into set-up moment was the most memorable.

Besides the udpate downtime is ripe for taking the time to be thankful for it, reading up on what it can do and planning out it's use. And getting a new console as a gift to find the package opened and the hardware having been used before removes some of the magic

The one scenario where I think it makes sense is if the gift receiver has limited or no internet. Maybe kids who would require help with the set-up anyways, but I'd argue it's a good learning experience

Burai · Dec 26, 2020

Fawz said:
The one scenario where I think it makes sense is if the gift receiver has limited or no internet. Maybe kids who would require help with the set-up anyways, but I'd argue it's a good learning experience

A good learning experience for what? To put in the wi-fI/account passwords once and then never need to do it again? To plug in an HDMI cable? To stare at progress bars?

Bob Beat · Dec 26, 2020

Justified said:
Those things are not the same IMO

They are, in the sense that you are expediting using the toy. And they are easily overlooked.

Parents do a lot to please their kids. If the service is extremely crappy, the kid may not get a chance to play their hot new toy. It justs makes sense in this day and age. Not sure why ppl value shrink wrap over utility.

SlickVic · Dec 26, 2020

I understand the sentiment (and I'm pretty sure Kotaku had a similar article on this premise years ago during the PS3/360 days), but it's a hard disagree from me. If I'm buying a brand new console for someone, then that's exactly how I intend to give it to them. I'm not giving them a 'used' or 'open box' item. If I'm buying it new for a gift, then I want them to open it for the first time.

Also, where do you draw the line? While consoles can have big firmware updates, games can also have big patches these days. If I'm gifting someone a console, I'm probably also getting them a game or two. Would I need to open those up too (if they're physical copies) so the system downloads the respective updates for those games as well? Again, if I'm buying new games for someone, I'd rather not gift them as 'opened box' once I give it to them. That feels like the times Gamestop tries to sell unsealed copies of a game as 'new', which I've personally never been a fan of, and I'd rather not do it myself.

Grassy · Dec 26, 2020

Man just let them unpack everything themselves and then help them update/guide them if need be. If it takes an hour or two to update everything then they can spend that time doing other shit like playing outside or with their other gifts or hanging with the family on Christmas Day.

Doing shit like that is the actual definition of being a helicopter parent. Let your kids be independent and grow and learn shit themselves. This is why I deal with so many millenials at work who can't do basic shit like cook a meal or clean up after themselves properly because their parents did everything for them.

¡Hip Hop! · Dec 26, 2020

YMMV.

Clearly, a lot of people on Era would rather fuck with untouched plastic than play games quicker.

I remember getting an N64 one year for Christmas. We didn't have any modern TV's, so we needed an RF adapter. We couldn't play it until a day or two later. I don't think young me would have been mad that my mom had robbed us of the disappointment of not playing the system on Christmas day. Adults care way more about that shit than kids.

Kalel114 · Dec 26, 2020

Damn. Didn't know this was so controversial. For me growing up with Atari, Nintendo, Sega, I loved plugging it in and playing. I would have been pissed if I had to wait 1-2 hours to play my new console. So, I as father, want my kids to jump in and play like I did. So yeah.

Fawz · Dec 26, 2020

Burai said:
A good learning experience for what? To put in the wi-fI/account passwords once and then never need to do it again? To plug in an HDMI cable? To stare at progress bars?

To go through a console's first set-up process which runs you through some of the essentials and helps you get set-up. I guess you could update the firmware and then format the console so that first-time-setup is still triggered

And yes learning to plug-in the cables and get the internet connection working has value considering this is a long term use scenario where there is bound to be some troubleshooting or transfer of knowledge

Ionic · Dec 26, 2020

Justified said:
I think what most are trying to articulate, or at least this is my interpretation, is that waiting through updates is looked upon as a rite of passage in the gaming community

The parents of these kids probably had an NES or Gameboy and didn't even know about the concept of loading until part way through the 90's when they tried to visit a Nirvana Geocities fansite, let alone the idea of having to download game updates. There's no rite of passage, this console update stuff is a modern phenomenon. Update the console and the games and put them back in the box. Thinking about the internet I had only a few years ago, a Christmas morning console gift would probably have a game ready to play by 2am the next day. Besides, 80 percent of kids nowadays probably already know about all this crap from trying to play Fortnite during an event by now. Spare them the server issues and waiting just this once.

And seriously, to the folks saying "the children must learn patience", what the heck presents were you all getting as kids that required you to sit there and stare at it for some arbitrary amount of time before you could use it? For me if it wasn't a Gameboy game that was totally plug and play, it was a Nerf gun or a basketball or a comic book or power ranger or something. The kids already did their due diligence in patience waiting for the holidays. Just set up the damn toy in advance you weirdos.

For other age groups, just consider whether or not they're an Era member and plan accordingly.

Fawz said:
And yes learning to plug-in the cables and get the internet connection working has value considering this is a long term use scenario where there is bound to be some troubleshooting or transfer of knowledge

You can still have them take it out of the box and plug the power cable and HDMI cable in. The thread is about avoiding the annual clusterfuck that is Christmas day console servers.

breakfuss · Dec 26, 2020

That's tacky as hell. Hope no one actually does this.

unicornKnight · Dec 26, 2020

MrNewVegas said:
Lmfaoooo looks like I'm the only one.

Already opened my sons Series S and loaded with gamepass games.

I'd do the same for my kids probably. Would never open a gift I'd be giving someone else though.

jman1954goat · Dec 26, 2020

nopattern said:
lol ok. If I spent 300+ dollars on a console for someone and installed the updates for them so they could play immediately and theye first thought was to me mad at me I'd probably take that shit back to the store. Fuck that shit.

I would not scream at you or anything.

If you did this I would be very honest with opening it first and installing was a mistake

I remember even at 8 years old I loved putting Christmas stuff together myself from the box. I loved playing with console menus

LinLeigh · Dec 26, 2020

nopattern said:
lol ok. If I spent 300+ dollars on a console for someone and installed the updates for them so they could play immediately and theye first thought was to me mad at me I'd probably take that shit back to the store. Fuck that shit.

It is so funny reading this thread with so many people going teach your child PATIENCE! yet are immediately like I would be pissed if my gift was unopened.

Well I teach my kid gratitude. If I give someone an expensive gadget and they moan about it being opened they have a gratitude problem.

WaveBird · Dec 26, 2020

Kyoufu said:
Setting up my PS5 and updating the games took less than 30 minutes. I'll do it myself than lord knows what the retailer would be doing. Don't open my shit.

The point is, if the servers go down, you can't update. I opened the Switch I bought for my parents that I ordered brand new online and downloaded the update and Mario Kart Live. Glad I did because come Christmas morning the eShop was down. How fun would it have been if one out of the two Switches we had at the house could play MKL but not the other one?

Plus, the Switch mentioned above, and a Series X and PS5 that I've bought this year all showed up to my house without shrinkwrap around them. I don't recall any seals on them. Once I installed the update on the Switch I just turned it off, put the controllers back in plastic, put the console back in plastic and folded the box back into place.

30 minutes? Sure. An entire day? Update before hand. If I buy something for a birthday I'm not going to do it ahead of time because I do like turning it on for the first time but I'd rather play than not play on a busy day like Christmas.

Iucidium · Dec 26, 2020

Updated and installed some stuff on my son's Series S (he mentioned earlier on Xmas Eve he was going to install DBZ: Kakarot, Fortnite and R6:Siege) repacked it and wrapped it. He opened it Xmas morning and gave me a hug and whispered "thank you, I don't have to wait"

Thera · Dec 26, 2020

maximumzero said:
have the ability to discretely unbox it

You monster

Liam Allen-Miller · Dec 26, 2020

Jolkien said:
Plenty of game are broken if unpatched.

A minority of disc-based games are "broken" when unpatched!

Chaystic · Dec 26, 2020

A PS5 for a child seems a bit overkill, but what do I know.

If you've giving a gift of a console this year, please update it NOW if you're able.

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